The war in Ukraine is now in its second devastating year.
Homes continue to be destroyed, forcing families to flee as refugees or stay and try to rebuild their lives from the rubble.
OM teams have remained in Ukraine, helping to pick up the pieces. They have travelled from village to village, helping repair and rebuild homes and provide trauma counselling to help people deal with grief and loss.
But the need remains. And you can help make a difference.
Your tax deductible support will help provide:
emergency shelter in homes and church facilities.
adequate food.
sanitation, water, and blankets.
first aid and medical kits.
debriefing and psychosocial support.
support for children in processing their traumatic experiences.
transportation assistance.
With your help, our teams can continue providing physical help to rebuild destroyed homes, emotional help to rebuild traumatised lives, and spiritual help to rebuild lost hope.
Please give to this Urgent Need
Gifts of AUD$2 and over are tax deductible through the OM Overseas Aid Fund ABN 27 182 395 136
$50
Can help provide a food pack for one Ukrainian family for a month.
$100
Can help provide 10 bedding packs of blankets, sleeping bags and covers for Ukrainian refugees.
$300
Can help provide a counselling course for 1 Ukrainian person experiencing emotional trauma.
The Impact of Caring
Some of the deepest impact on those in need during this crisis has been made through seemingly small acts of kindness; providing practical assistance and caring conversations that demonstrate the compassion of Jesus for those who are suffering.
Rebuilding Homes
While repairing homes in a village in Ukraine, shrapnel in the roof of Olga’s home caught the attention of OM workers. As they repaired her roof, she shared a heart-breaking story.
“The Russian troops have done such terrible, terrible things, but the most terrible thing they did to me was steal my wheelbarrow.”
Without her wheelbarrow, life for Olga was very difficult. As her only source of food, she depended on her veggie garden. But when her wheelbarrow was stolen, she was left to juggle all her gardening tools, supplies and produce in a few small buckets.
Once they had finished repairing her roof, the OM Team went straight to the local hardware store and bought Olga a brand-new, heavy-duty wheelbarrow.
Olga was overwhelmed with gratitude, explaining that because of this gift of a wheelbarrow, she is now able to continue growing and harvesting her food.
Rebuilding Lives
74-year-old Egor was found by an OM Team sitting in front of what remained of his home – a lone chimney surrounded by rubble. When Russian troops invaded his village, they took over his home and turned it into a weapons armoury.
Tragically, this made Egor’s home a prime target for Ukrainian missiles.
Utterly distraught, sitting among the remains of his home and scattered boxes of bullets, Egor had no idea where to start. As the OM Team began clearing the rubble and tidying up, Egor’s spirits lifted. While his home was beyond repair, the care and assistance he received helped him begin the slow process of rebuilding his life.
He now lives with his sister in a neighbouring village, grateful for the physical and emotional support he received at the lowest point of his life.
Rebuilding Hope
“Mum, what’s wrong?” asked Tatianna when she found her mother weeping on the floor of her home.
“I’m just really, really sad today. I can’t stop crying,” her mother answered.
With a heavy heart, Tatianna walked outside to find an OM Team working on a nearby home. Rushing back into the house, Tatianna called out, “Mum! The Christians from the other village are here!”
Her mother jumped up and excitedly ran out to meet the OM Team.
“Thank you so much for coming!” her mother told the team. “When you are around, the whole place feels lighter.”
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”
1 John 3:17-18
